There are about a hundred million ways to market yourself and your business online. So which ones work? After over a decade in the online marketing business, I have seen what works and what doesn’t and decided to quiz some of my clients and associates about the best things that work and some that don’t. Don’t waste your time spinning your wheels on tactics that are outdated and just don’t work. Learn from others, find out what works and then do that. Here’s what they had to say:
We’ve been blogging since 2012. Every week, several times a week, fresh content, new and athoritative content that people want to read. Maybe not every post, but most get several views and we have about 5000 people a month visiting our site. This has allowed me to increase my team and our business. We blog about local events, changes in the market, and general real estate terms but nearly always about Portland. It keeps us on the first page for a lot of key phrases.
We’ve used Facebook for years and have built up nearly 10,000 followers. It takes time and intentional effort but I get a lead nearly every week now. We post almost daily and get messages from potential clients frequently asking about interest rates, particular homes for sale, and questions. I post listings, unique information, and details from all my blog sources so we give people a well-rounded Facebook business page.
Use emails sparingly but effectivly and use emojis. Emojis are everywhere and emojis in the subject line actually get more click throughs. I want to provide my clients information they not only can use when they are looking for a home but also when they need to sell a home, recipes for the season, local events and info they can use all year long. So, that when the time comes, it’s a no-brainer to use me as their agent; I’ve literally been in front of their face all year.
We’ve been able to branch out to other office locations due to our branding. Branding is everything. And you can’t change it too often. Go with what you know and keep that brand in front of people all the time. Our logo and information is on everything we do, down to the bullet points in our blogs. I want people to see our logo and know it’s us – and see it everywhere.
Finding a website that actually does something for you is extremely important. We want our website to be our calling card as well as a place people can search for homes, find out about the local area and become the expert go-to source for all things Louisville. We are always building it out, but by focusing our efforts on a killer website, we are proud of our online presence and I think people can see that.
We’ve built our business on one thing; being the very best representative for buyers in the Orlando area. We don’t work with sellers, only buyers. All our focus is on buyers with 3 powerful websites that rank in the top 10 on Google and other search engines. We write content only for buyers and have several ways buyers can search and find their perfect home. Our niche has worked for us for decades!
Our niche is luxury homes and although many agents would love to have million dollar listings, specializing in them is something else. We seeek out private listings, write content that focuses on luxury homes, and promise oru buyers exclusivity and confidentiality when buying. We have built a business on luxury properties in Lake Nona, Dr. Phillips, and Winderemer. Our target audience is high-end and that’s what we stick to so we are known for it.
Having the website set up and providing everything a buyer or seller would want. Just going with a broker’s site is nothing. I have spent years building out my website to include all communities, neighborhoods, club information, PDF documents, and all the information one would need to buy a home in my area. It’s a one-stop shop. If I can provide them the details of an area that’s easy to read, easy to find and click through, it’s a no-brainer who they are going to call. I never drop the ball and once a potential client speaks to me, I can take it from there. IT’s proving myself before they hear my voice that matters.
Going where my clients are and building a reputation. I am connected with just about every other agent in my area so when one of us gets a high-end listing that may not be on the MLS, we have a network of agents to refer to for the perfect buyer. Often times it happens behind the MLS and this is exactly what our clients want. Someone that knows the market well enough to price it and keep it off the MLS. I am in several Louisville networking groups throughout the community and really understand this area. Because of this, other agents know they can come to me for a listing or a buyer. Get in good with your local communtiy so you ARE the go-to source.
Know your target audience. I only buy ugly houses for cash in Sacramento and Stockton so I have to know my audience. I’m not looking for the person willing to sit on the market, fix up their home, and negotiate with buyers. I’m looking for the person that may have inherited a home they need to sell now or a hoarders house that they just can’t fathom cleaning up before selling. I want to provide a solution for them that’s easy and effortless. I don’t want my sellers to stress out; I’m looking for that seller and ONLY that seller. That’s a pretty specific market and that’s only what I write about and talk about on my 3 websites for the area.
I focus on waterfront homes in and around Clermont Florida. Because this is a unique niche, I tend to have a lot of referrals for this specific thing but it didn’t come overnight. I have geared nearly all my posts about this, targeted areas where there are more retirement-age folks and provided a service and a solution. I am the guide helping them to a perfect solution. I am not the hero of their story, they are. I just guide them to the right choice. It totally works.
Contests! I’ve run a contest for years and it’s a great way to get people’s correct information and of course, every month someone wins something. I usually give them a free night’s stay on the beach so that’s a great incentive but contests are great for any kind of business. I promote it on Facebook and other social media and of course on my site that gets nearly 10,000 visitors a month!
Video. Video has been blowing it out of the park for me and it’s where it’s at. People want to SEE your face and know who they are getting before calling. I want to be friendly and offer different videos each week. It could be on listings, local market, an event, or just some great tips. Video is where it’s at and people have responded greatly to this!
Be the expert. I have spend years perfecting my authrity on Brickell condos in Miami. I know everything about everything about those condo buildings and can help any buyer find exactly what they’re looking for. If you don’t know your area or you are spread too thin, buyers and sellers won’t think you are that qualified. It may seem limiting to inundate your site with one area, but when you are an expert in that area and Google knows it, then you can branch out.
Expand your sphere of influence. We got connected with outside website sources like ActiveRain and Realtown. We also connect with other agents on Linkedin because the more other agents know who you are and where you are, the more they are likely to refer you to potential clients. Don’t work in a bubble. Expand not just to potential clients but create a good reputation in your community and your industry and people will know to trust you and have no problem referring you.
Find one or two social media platforms that work for you, figure them out and use them. Don’t try to spread yourself on all and never use any. Find one or two that work for your lifestyle AND are directed at your target audience, and then work it every day if you can. Build up a following and don’t let it get stagnant.
Collect reviews. Everyone looks at reviews these days. It’s almost more important than just having a website. Agents can collect reviews on Zillow, Google, or really anywhere including their own website. People tend to look at reviews these days and the more reviews with high scores, the better you must be.
Don’t just tell people to contact you. Give them a reason to. Like for instance, “For the best rates don’t wait any longer. Get your rate locked in today”. Or, “Find out the key to finding the perfect house”. Give them a reason to contact you, not just for more information but to the answer to a problem. Why did they come to your site? Build authority and then give them the answer.
Spread the wealth. What I mean is, ask to be featured on someone else’s blog. Ask for a backlink from their site or ask to write an article that would benefit them, all the while having a link to you and your business in that post or at least in the authorship at the end. Get your name out there more by guest blogging.
Monitor your progress and research! Link-building means spreadsheets. On-line or Off-line.
And that means very tedious task(s) of manually inserting tons of data about your backlinks, cell..by.. cell.No more!
LinkOkay pulls data automatically for you! And we’re very proud of it!
We specialize in coastal properties and so we’ve gone that route with marketing. We market on all coastal property websites in the area as much as we can and ask our agents to give links back to us to make our main site really be the powerhouse in the area.
Each one of these people find their own way to market themselves and their business and then they work it! They don’t just leave it alone. Once the snowball is built it can roll on its own but if it sinks in a valley it won’t regain momentum alone. Don’t leave your potential clients thinking, “Where did he go?”. Find what works for you and a system that you can stay consistent with. It may take weeks, months, or years but it WILL pay off.
As always some great ideas and tips. Every one of the ideas listed is a great one just have to figure out which one works best for you and stick to it. And if it does not try a new one in its place.
The hardest part is getting started. Do your homework when it comes to back end SEO, PPC campaigns and backlinks. You also need to realize this is not a quick fix scenario. It takes time to see results. If you continue to work at it it will happen!